10yrs ago today (1st April 2016), our Founder Paul Lancaster went self-employed in the UK. Here’s how he did it & his advice if you want to do the same, now or in the future… ⬇️⭐️
Here’s a transcript of what Paul says in the 4min 24secs video above…
“It’s the 1st of April 2026 & 10 years ago today, I went self-employed. I went from having a job to starting my own business. And what an amazing time I’ve had over those 10 years. I’ve done so many fantastic things. I’m really proud of in running my own business, which is primarily an events-based business but also consultancy & advisory services for people who want to start & grow their business.
Back then it was something that I’d wanted to do for many, many years. So, I’d had various jobs where I was paid to help people start & grow their own business – signposting, matchmaking & distributing a little bit of funding as well. And it was building up inside me. (When you’re hanging out in with other entrepreneurs & business owners, you can’t help but get the bug).
I’d read loads of books, been to lots of business & entrepreneurship-focused events, watched lots of videos. Podcasts weren’t really a thing back then but I I was just surrounding myself with people & immersing myself in that world, doing a bit of mentoring & coaching along the way.
And I set myself a target that I wanted to start my own business before I turned 40. I’d just turned 39 (on 19th March 2016) so I was a year ahead when I had the opportunity to start my own business. Now I say the opportunity but basically, the job that I was in was relying on government funding & that funding ran out. Now I had a choice. I could either stay & hope that they were going to get more funding but the role was going to completely change & not be what I wanted to do or I could bite the bullet & do what I’ve been thinking about doing & talking about doing for years & actually start my own business, which is what I chose to do.
Now, I’m not saying it was easy & it’s not for everyone but it is the best thing that I’ve done apart from having kids. But definitely I don’t regret it. It’s been absolutely amazing. I’ve got so many fantastic memories from the past 10 years.
But what I would say is, I was prepared for it. Even though it wasn’t easy & business is never easy. There are always challenges along the way. I was really quite prepared for it because I’d been immersing myself for a long time. So, what I would say is whether you’re starting a business, whether you’re growing a business, or even if you’re in a job & you just want to learn about business & learn how to be more entrepreneurial, I would encourage you to read books, I would encourage you to listen to podcasts, watch videos & attend events where you’re going to be surrounded by people who are actually starting or growing their own business.
That’s what I do. I run events every month called PLATFORM in Newcastle & also do them in Sunderland, Middlesbrough & Edinburgh once a quarter. (We’ve been doing them in Newcastle almost every month since January 2024 with 2,000+ different people attending so far).
Our monthly PLATFORM events are free to attend & usually take place on a Friday morning. So come along to see what they are like. If you go to platformvents.ai you can find out all about them. We’re also doing our 1st, full-day PLATFORM Conference later this month on Tuesday the 28th April. So take a look at that as well.
Come along if you can & take a holiday if you have to book some time off work. I would encourage you to do that. If you can’t get time off work or you’re stuck & you can’t make those times (Friday mornings) we have got lots & lots of videos like this. I share short videos not every day but most days across all our social media channels but we also have a YouTube Channel as well.
So if you go to www.youtube.com/@UKStartupWeek, that is our YouTube channel where every week I publish longer interviews with business owners & leaders sharing how they started & grew their own business & lots of practical tips & advice on how you can do the same. It’s also a podcast as well which is the SuperConnector Show, available on Spotify, Apple Podcasts, Amazon Music, Audible, Spreaker, you name it.
But if you follow me / us on social media as well, I share lots of tips & advice & other resources that are going to help you start & grow your business. So I would encourage you to do that (via the links below). So, good luck & I’m excited about the next 10 years ahead! Cheers, bye!”
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